The new Dynastar Legend X84 felt lighter, more playful and much more versatile than many of the other skis in the Frontside Category. That’s thanks to Dynastar’s Powerdrive Free construction featuring five-point sidecut, which helps create a more progressive flex and a tight turn radius. That and a lightweight Paulownia woodcore are why testers said this ski was remarkably quick edge-to-edge, and could be easily steered in a variety of turn shapes. The ski’s best features include great turn variability, super edge hold, near top of the category responsiveness and an ease of initiation, particularly on softer snow surfaces.

It’s not a damp ski by any means, like the Blizzard Brahma or HEAD Monster 88, but it makes up for it in terms of turn shape variability and float. The combination of the five-point sidecut and tip and tail rocker can also make the ski feel short. Even some of our lighter testers who skied the 177-centimeter model said if they were skiing the Legend X 84 all season, they would size up to the 184-centimeter length. The new iteration of the Legend is a must-ski for strong intermediates to experts who are looking for an exciting ski for groomers, steeps, windpack and bumps.

Float

Dynastar’s new X84 features one of the best examples of how a Frontside ski can offer sufficient Float without sacrificing Edge Hold and Stability in this category. The All Mountain Profile has just enough tip and tail rocker to get you easily in and out of turns while still feeling like your edges aren’t losing contact. Add in the responsive feel of this ski, and you have the confidence to charge a lot conditions on or off-piste.

Stability

That being said, one of the few criticisms of the X84 was that even when skiing similar lengths to other skis in the Frontside Category, the Dynastar felt like it was a little bit short. What that means is that testers felt like they could get out over their shovels too easily, dig a tip in some instances and just generally want to ski a longer model for everyday use. It still earned three 10s for this classification (out of a possible 10) as well as several 8s, but with the caveat that almost all of our testers would consider skiing the X84 all season would strongly consider sizing up.

Edge Hold

Even with that “shorter feel,” the Edge Hold here is fantastic. The ski felt smooth, accurate, and always “in the arc” no matter what speed, or what turn shape. It’s a very exciting ski to rip around on, with the ability to quickly transition from long groomer turns, to a zipper line down some of Snowbird’s steep bumps. Tester comments in this classification include: “It felt alive and precise underfoot,” “In this category, it added the most energy to the edge hold,” and, “Smooth, solid edge hold.”

Carving Pleasure

Ditto. Overall, we’ve found Dynastar skis love to carve, and the Legend X84 fit the bill perfectly. Even with all the damp, Cadillac-style smooth riders in this category, this ski more than held its own with a different kind of energy with more pop and pure excitement underfoot. The ski earned six 10s in this classification, several 8s and only one 6 at the lowest end, to a tester who still ranked the ski as “Excellent.” “It has a really smooth carve with clean edge hold,” one tester wrote, while another added, “It has a mix of damp energy that launches you into the next turn, arc after arc.”

Turn Shape Variability

The X84 handles quick, fall-line turns with a livelier feel than almost anything else in this category. Medium radius turns are easy to initiate, with perfect hold from arc to arc. It’s when testers really tried to wind the ski up on the groomed that we heard that previous caveat, “I would’ve liked to ski a longer model.” Still, as with the Carving Pleasure classification, the ski still earned 10s and 8s across the board, with the exception of another 6 from a separate tester, who also still ranked the ski as “Excellent.” The X84 is a lot of fun in a lot of different terrain, and sized correctly, can carve everything up.